Method and apparatus for system selection

• US 5,983,092 A
• Filed: 05/13/1997
• Issued: 11/09/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola, Inc. (Motorola Solutions, Inc.)
• Inventors: Robinson, William, Gibbs, Jonathan, Van Den Heuvel, Anthony, Whinnett, Nicholas
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thuan T.
• Application Number:
  US08/855,376
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• Field of Search: 455/406, 455/407, 455/432, 455/433, 455/435, 455/444, 455/414, 455/445, 455/408, 379/59, 379/114
• US Class Current: 455/406
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/00 Arrangements for metering, time-control or time indication ; Metering, charging or billing arrangements for voice wireline or wireless communications, e.g. VoIP
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/83 Notification aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/32 Involving wireless systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/82 Advice-of-Charge [AOC], i.e. notify subscriber of charges/cumulative charge; meter at the substation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/24 Accounting or billing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service

Abstract

A method and apparatus enables selection a communication system when a user of a mobile unit is away from a home system to which it is registered. According to one novel aspect, the visited communication system broadcasts (402) a list of standardized type services including tariff information, which is used by the mobile unit to select a system. According to another novel aspect, the mobile initiates an outgoing call of a non-standardised type service by accessing (502) a candidate system and informing it of the location of the home network and desired service identifier. The candidate system obtains (504) the service information on this service from the home network, and then provides (546) a quotation for a required service. Also, a communication system according to the present invention minimises incoming call costs to the user wherein the home system polls (606) the communication systems within range of the mobile unit to select the best system to provide service.

Claims

1. A method of transferring an incoming call made to a mobile unit associated with a home communication system to said mobile unit located in a visited communication system, said method comprising the steps off:

at the home communication system, receiving an incoming call to said mobile unit;

polling a plurality of communication systems accessible to said mobile unit and providing a service description to determine offered tariffs;

selecting one of said plurality of communication systems according to said offered tariffs; and

instructing said mobile unit to receive said incoming call on said one selected communication system.

2. A method of transferring an incoming call made to a mobile unit comprising repeating the method steps of claim 1 on a call-by-call basis.

3. A home communication system adapted to transfer an incoming call made to a mobile unit associated with said home communication system to said mobile unit located in a visited communication system, said home communication system comprising:

means for receiving an incoming call to said mobile unit;

means for obtaining tariff information from other communication systems accessible to said mobile station;

means for selecting one of said other communication systems accessible to said mobile station depending on said tariff information; and

means for providing instructions to said mobile unit to access said one selected communication system.

4. A communications system according to claim 3, wherein receiving the request for the call, obtaining tariff information and accessing of a selected communication system are provided on a call-by-call basis.